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Inquiries in Italian Football Scandal Widen 14 May 2006, 21:07 UTC

With less than a month before the World Cup Championship in Germany, the attention of Italians is focused on a scandal that has engulfed the country's national sport. Radio and television broadcasts and pages and pages of newspapers are devoted to the football scandal.

Prosecutors have opened a massive investigation into allegations of fixing games and illegal betting. The Italian football federation Saturday withdrew the World Cup accreditation of a well-known referee, after he was implicated in the scandal.

Four teams in the top-level Series A are involved so far: Juventus, Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina.

Industrialist Diego Della Valle, whose family owns Fiorentina, said he is absolutely confident that his club is in no way involved in this affair.

Juventus is one of Italy's most celebrated teams. But the entire board of the team resigned last week, and its general manager is under investigation for influencing referees.

More than 40 people have been ordered to face questioning. They are being investigated for criminal association and sporting fraud.

Italy's star goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, was questioned over suspected illegal betting. He says he is innocent and wants to play in the upcoming World Cup Championship.

The former team president of Bologna, Giuseppe Gazzoni Frascara, said the scandal is almost enough to make one ashamed to be Italian. He questioned whether the Italian team should even play in the world championship.

He said it is sad that this is happening just before the World Cup, which begins next month.

The Vatican newspaper, meanwhile, described the football scandal as an offense to sports and to its values.

inquiries : 질문. 수사

industriallist : 대기업가

accreditation : 신임장을 받은….

ordered to face questioning : 검찰수사 같은, 검찰소환을 받고 있다.

offence : 모욕

engulf : (V) If one thing engulfs another, it completely covers or hides it, often in a sudden and unexpected way.

devoted : (adj) (1) Someone who is devotedto a person loves that person very much. (2) If you are devotedto something, you care about it a lot and are very enthusiastic about it.

Prosecutor : 검찰관, 검사 (N-COUNT) In some countries, a prosecutor is a lawyer or official who brings charges against someone or tries to prove in a trial that they are guilty.